Sociology - the systematic study of human behavior in society sociological imagination - seeing the relationship between individual experiences and larger social influences Microsociology - examines the patterns of individuals' social interaction in

Sociology - the systematic study of human behavior in society sociological imagination - seeing the relationship between individual experiences and larger social influences Microsociology - examines the patterns of individuals' social interaction in specific settings Macrosociology - examines the large-scale patterns and processes that characterize society as a whole Theory - a set of statements that explains why a phenomenon occurs empirical - information that is based on observations, experiments, or other data collection rather than on ideology, religion, intuition, or conventional wisdom social facts - aspects of social life, external to the individual, that can be measured social solidarity - social cohesiveness and harmony division of labor - an interdependence of different tasks and occupations, characteristic of industrialized societies, that produces social unity and facilitates change Capitalism - an economic system based on the private ownership of property and the means of production Alienation - feeling separated from one's group or society value free - separating one's personal values, opinions, ideology, and beliefs from scientific research functionalism/ structural functionalism - maintains that society is a complex system of interdependent parts that work together to ensure a society's survival Dysfunctions - social patterns that have a negative impact on a group or society manifest functions - purposes and activities that are intended and recognized; they're present and clearly evident latent functions - purposes and activities that are unintended and unrecognized; they're present but not immediately obvious Conflict Theory - examines how and why groups disagree, struggle over power, and compete for scarce resources Feminist Theories - examine women's social, economic, and political inequality symbolic interaction theory - examines people's everyday behavior through the communication of knowledge, ideas, beliefs, and attitudes social interaction - a process in which people take each other into account in their own behavior